More Canadian Students Failing Due to Technology

Thanks to Facebook, Twitter and text messaging, more post-secondary students cannot write properly and use correct grammar.

In an article put out by The Canadian Press on Sunday, professors at universities across the country say a lack of English grammar is becoming a serious problem. Ontario’s Waterloo University is making sure its students pass an English language skills exam before accepting them into the institution.

30 percent of those students who take the exam fail it, according to the university’s managing director of the exam.

At Simon Fraser University, professors say students are handing in papers with little smiley faces and other emoticons, not to mention seeing the word ‘cuz’ frequently.

By university level, students are expected to know basic grammar, but some professors have resorted to offering a refresher course. They say another factor of the problem is computer software that corrects grammar and spelling automatically, not forcing students to recognize their errors.

We checked with the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg, and so far, no refresher course on basic English is being offered here.